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Revere thanks Twins for his years in Minnesota

Outfielder collects two stolen bases, two runs against former team

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Phillies center fielder Ben Revere admitted it was strange playing against his former team on Wednesday, but made sure to thank the Twins organization for his time in Minnesota.

Revere, who was traded on Dec. 6 for pitchers Vance Worley and Trevor May, only had good things to say about the Twins. Revere went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and two runs scored in a 12-5 loss to the Twins.

"I just want to say to the Minnesota Twins, up and down from the front office to the players, I just want a chance to say thank you," Revere said. "The reason why I'm here is them working with me from 2007 until now to make me a better player. Getting a chance to go through that organization was a blessing."

Revere wanted to especially thank general manager Terry Ryan, considering the club took a chance on him as a first-round Draft pick in '07, despite his small stature and lack of power. Revere proved the doubters wrong by hitting .278 with 74 stolen bases, as well as several spectacular catches in the outfield, in his 254 games with the Twins.

He said that when Ryan called him to tell him about the trade, the phone call lasted more than 30 minutes and both of them got emotional at times.

"Terry kind of teared up a little bit and it almost made me tear up," Revere said. "He's just helped me out a lot coming up through the Minor Leagues and up to the big leagues. I was not upset whatsoever. It was all about business. I just told him thank you for the opportunities."

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said it was good to see Revere, but didn't get a chance to talk to him before the game because he was working with Twins players on a different field.

"It was definitely weird seeing him in a Phillies uniform, because he spent so much time in a Twins uniform," Gardenhire said. "But he put a couple nice swings out there and hit the ball hard. That's what he does."